RESCUE AND SEARCH WORKS IN SOCHI CONTINUE

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 12:00

In the morning the search works in Sochi were resumed. With the help
of the ” Calmar” system, supplied with camera and control system,
it may be possible to extract the black boxes from the bottom of
the sea. Specialists consider, however, that these may have been
already putrefied. The search works are controlled by RF Minister
of Transport Igor Levitin. Yesterday the latter left Sochi for
Moscow. RF Minister of Emergency Situations is currently at the site
of the disaster. According to him, 53 corpses have been extracted,
42 of which have been identified.

The identification of bodies continues. It needs to be noted that
this night “Yak-40” plane of the Ministry of Emergency Situations
transported eight more corpses to Yerevan. Two Armavia planes
transported 148 relatives of the victims.

“The rescuers know the exact location of the black boxes,” RF Minister
of Emergency Situations Sergey Shoygu said yesterday. At the same
time he noted that additional facilities are needed to extract these.

UK READY TO ASSIST SEARCH AT AIR CRASH LOCATION

PanARMENIAN.Net
05.05.2006 20:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The UK is ready to assist Russia in searching for
fragments of A-320 Armenian plane in the Black Sea, if asked for it,
a British MFA representative said. “We are always ready to assist
our Russian colleagues in situations like this.

However, no requests for assistance were received from the Russian
party yet,” the source said, reports RIA Novosti.

GREAT BRITAIN READY TO HELP RUSSIA FIND FRAGMENTS OF THE ARMENIAN A320

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 12:38

Great Britain is ready to help Russia to find the fragment of the
Armenian A320 plane in the Black Sea, if such request is submitted,
UK Foreign Ministry representative told RIA Novosti.

“We are always ready to help our Russian colleagues in such situations.

However, the Russian side has not requested assistance so far,”
the official said.

EIGHT MORE BODIES OF THE VICTIMS BROUGHT TO YEREVAN

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 12:53

This night eight more corpses of the A320 passengers killed as a result
of the crash over the Black Sea were transported to Yerevan. Three
of the dead Yerevan residents, the others were from marzes.

1. Knyazyan Grigor (Armavir)
2. Nalbandyan Silva (Yerevan)
3. Mkrtumyan Manyak (Ijevan)
4. Khachatryan Anahit (Ararat)
5. Tadevosyan Sirvard (Yeghvard)
6. Hamayakyan Styopa (Yerevan)
7. Yebzipyan Nazar (Yerevan)
8. Badoyan Khachatur (Gyumri)

To remind, another 26 bodies of the victims were brought to Yerevan
on May 5.

ILHAM ALIEV: ALL POSSIBLE WAYS OF RESOLUTION OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT HAVE ALREADY BEEN STUDIED

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 13:06

“All possible ways of resolution of the Karabakh conflict have already
been studied,” Azeri President Ilham Aliev declared.

“Currently the Co-Chairs are consulting intensively, different ways
of resolution are being discussed. Possibly, there will be some
novelties,” the Azeri President said, adding that a principally new
suggestion for resolution of the question may be presented.

“Possibly, some amendments will be applied to suggestions in the
process of elaboration. I do not exclude it. In this case we’ll come
closer to the resolution of the question,” Ilham Aliev noted.

DEBTS OF CONSUMERS WERE PARDONED

Lragir.am
5 May 06

The Public Utilities Commission adopted a notable decision on May 5.

The commission, which usually adopts decisions on increasing the
tariffs of one service or another, pardoned the debts of Armentel
subscribers who received incredible bills. Their bills contained
expensive foreign calls due to a mistake of providers of dial-up
Internet. Armentel must inform its subscribers about pardoning their
debts and report on this to the Public Utilities Commission within
14 days.

After the meeting of the Commission the leadership of Armentel
described this decision as corresponding with their good will.

Vasilios Fetsis, the executive direction of the company, described
this decision as “reasonable.” He also said Armentel is working out
a new regime of bills for those subscribers whom the decision of the
commission will not affect. Armentel is willing to prolong the time of
payment of bill of those subscribers who are facing financial problems.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMAVIA TO TAKE THREE AIRBUSES ON LEASE

ArmRadio.am
06.05.2006 13:30

In the nearest future Armavia Company intends to lease three airbuses,
Press Service of the Company told “Arminfo.”

According to the source, next week the stock of the Company will
be supplemented with two A320 airplanes manufactured in 1994 or
1995. Later another two airbuses will be taken on lease.

Armavia possessed five airbuses, one of which crashed near Sochi on
May 3; another one was completely burnt as a result of combustion at
” Sabana-Techniques” repair base in Brussels. Currently Armavia holds
one A-320 and two A-319 airbuses. Besides, the company possesses IL-86,
Yak-42 and Yak-40 planes.

A320 BROKE TO PIECES

Lragir.am
5 May 06

On Friday the first funerals of the victims of A320 took place in
Yerevan and Sochi. On May 5 200 relatives of victims went to the sea
and laid 113 wreaths in the place where the plane had plunged into
the sea. By May 5 53 bodies of 113 passengers of the plane have been
found, only 41 have been identified. There are bodies that cannot
be identified. The parts of bodies will be taken to Rostov for a
histological study. The operational headquarter says it is possible
that the Armenian plane broke to small pieces, because so far the
rescuers have found small parts only. Another fact, supporting this
assumption is that the rescuers have found a lot of seats. “These are
in the fuselage of the plane, and if it remained whole, the seats would
not get dispersed,” said an officer of the operational headquarters
to the reporter of RIA Novosti. This anonymous officer also reported
that numerous small parts of the plane were found near the place where
the black boxes are supposed to lie at a depth of 680 meters. So far,
only 10 percent of the plane has been taken out of water. The search
for the bodies of victims is continuing. The rescuers are working
close to the coast, for the waves may carry the bodies close to the
coast. Parts of bodies and the plane were found 250 meters from the
coast. Although the French and Russian experts promised to go all the
way to find the bodies of victims, they say the bodies decay more
quickly at great depths and in a carbohydrate environment, and day
by day it is becoming impossible to find and identify the bodies.

FOUR AIRPLANES BURNT IN BELGIUM

ArmRadio.am
05.05.2006 17:55

Last night four “A-320″ planes were completely burnt in an air
base of ” Saberatechniques” Company in Belgium as a result of a
conflagration. Two of the planes belonged to Armenian air companies.

By the way, one of the jets belonged to “Armavia” Company. According
to our information, the other Armenian plane belonged to “Armenian
International Airlines” owned by businessmen Versant Hakobyan.

In the talk with “Radiolur” correspondent Tatul Hakobyan Third
Secretary of RA Embassy in Belgium Tigran Balayan said that the
airplanes were at the base for the purpose of renovation. According
to him, the four planes suffered from the fire, one was completely
burnt. Tigran Balayan could not say exactly which plane was burnt,
the air base was completely destroyed. Everything will be clear after
the conclusion of the firemen. In response to the question about
possible versions of terrorist act or fire, Tigran Balayan said, “No
versions are being suggested so far, we cannot say anything distinct,
until the firemen issue a report.”

Tigran Balayan informed that the air-base area was insured, bur did
not manage to provide details about this, either. Four firemen got
injured when trying to liquidate the fire.

BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY JACK STRAW CONVEYS HIS CONDOLENCES

ArmRadio.am
05.05.2006 17:26

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sent a letter of condolences on
the occasion of the tragic Armavia aircraft accident, “On behalf of the
British government and people, may I express my sincere condolences
at the tragic loss of life resulting from the Armavia plane crash
that occurred in the early hours of 3 May.

My sympathies and thoughts are with you and with the families and
friends of all those who died in the crash.”